And oscar darling



(No Model.)

w. E. WORTHEN & OQ DARLIN-G, APPARATUS FOR WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS.

No. 578,505; I Patented Mar. 9, 1897.-

in w z S S UNIT D STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM E. WVORTHEN, OF NEW YORK, AND OSOAR DARLING, OF BABYLON, NET/V YORK; SAID WORTI-IEN ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT E. HAWVLEY, OF

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR WATER-SUPPLY SYSTEMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,505, dated March 9, 1897. Application filed June 2, 1896. Serial No. 594,008. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,WILLIAM E. WORTHEN, residing at New York, in the county of New York, and OSCAR DARLING, residing at Baby- Ion, Sufiolk county, New York, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Water-Supply Systems, of which the followingis a specification.

IO In supplying towns or even large buildings with water where large storage-reservoirs are not used the water is sometimes pumped directly into the main, which requires heavy and expensive pumping apparatus and con- I 5 stant pumping, or it is pumped into standpipes, which results in varying pressures in the mains, according to the level of the standpipe, which is also expensive and which frequently must be placed at a considerable dis- 2o tance from the town in order to secure the requisite elevation, while the water stored therein is exposed to the atmosphere, while there is no means whereby an excess of pressure can be secured for fire purposes or other exigencies.

The object of our invention is to avoid the expense incident to both of these described systems, to secure a normally uniform pressure in the delivery-mains and permit a very go much higher pressure whenever required for any service and preserve the water in an uncontaminated state; and to this end we make use of an apparatus fully set forth hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying draw ing, which illustrates diagrammatically the the main features of our improved system.

The water is stored-in one or more storage or Water tanks, and if there are more than one they may be suitably arranged in prox-.

valve 1, which may be a check-valve or a cock, by which communication may be cut oif between the tank and the main when desired.

In order to preserve a proper proportion of air in each of the Water-tanks, the pump D may be provided with an air-inlet valve 2, of a well-known character, whereby from five to ten per cent. of air may be drawn in and expelled from the pump with the water into the storage-tank. 7 6o \Vith the upper portion of the storage tanks or tank communicates a compressed-air tank 0 through a pipe 3, provided with a reducingvalve 4., whereby to secure a uniform pressure of air upon the water in the storage-tank. 6 5 The reducing-valve 4 may be of any suitable or desirable construction, such, for instance, as that shown and described in the patent to WVood, granted January 10, 1898, No. 489,515. Assuming that the pressure in the tank 0 is one hundred and fifty pounds, the reducingvalve is so set as to maintain a uniform pressure of, say, fifty pounds in the storage-tank, which will be the normal pressure in the delivery-m ain and house-service. In case, how- 7 5 ever, Of fire or under other circumstances where a higher pressure is required the valve 4 is so adjusted as to permit the air under higher pressure to pass to the tank A or to pass freely, so as to secure in the tankA and in the mains the full pressure of the air in the tank 0.

We make use of an air-compressor D, by which the air is forced into the tank 0, and we connect the inlet-port of the air-compressor 8 5 wit-h the air-space of the water-tank, so that the air-compressor, when the water-tank is being filled by the action of the pump D, will receive the air from the water-tank under the pressure at which it is in the said watertank and to this extent avoid the necessity of compressing the air. Thus when the supply-tank is nearly empty under the normal compression of fifty pounds and the air-compressor D takes its supply of air from the tank A much less power is required to compress the air and deliver it to the high-pressure tank 0 than would be the case if the pump were supplied directly from the atmosphere. It will be seen that whatever may be the pressure within the water-tank we are enabled to maintain that pressure in said tank and in the delivery-mains while the tank is being filled, and that such pressure may be maintained with storage-tanks and compressors of less capacity than otherwise would be required.

To supply the air-compressor with air on starting, it is provided with an inlet-pipe 5, having a valve 6, which may be closed after the tank A is filled with water and which needs thereafter to be opened only in case there is necessity to make up a deficiency in the air-supply otherwise secured.

\Ve have not shown the details of construction of the pump D and compressor D, as each may be of the usual construction.

It will of course be understood that Where there is more than one storage-tank there is a reducing-valve 4 between each tank and the air-tank O, and it will also be evident that the pipes 7, leading from the tanks A to the inlet of the air-compressor, may be provided with valves 8 for closing them when required. It will also be evident that when the distant storage-tanks differ materially in their elevation from that of the nearest storage-tank there must be a separate connection between the distant tanks and the steam-pump D, as otherwise the variation oflevel in the different tanks would cause variation of pressure interfering with operations.

munication between the air-tank and the water-tank provided with a reducing-valve, substantially as set forth.

2. In a water-supply system, a storage-tank communicating with the delivery-main, and a pump for supplying the tank with water, a compressed-air tank, an air-compressor for supplying it with air under high pressure and a communication between the air-tank and the water-tank provided with a reducingvalve, the air-compressor receiving its supply of air from the storage-tank and discharging into the air-tan k, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a water-supplysystem, of a storage-tank and an air-pressure tank communicating with each other through a pipe provided with a reducing-valve, awater-supply pump communicating with the storage-tank and provided with an air-inlet 2, and means for supplying the air-tank with air under high pressure and a delivery-main communicating with the storage-tank, substantially as set forth.

4. In awater-supply system, a storage-tank and water feed-pump therefor, an air-tank, and air-compressor therefor, a service-main communicating with the storage-tank, a communication provided with a reducing-valve between the storage and air tanks, and an independent communication between the storage-tank and the inlet-port of the air-compressor, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM E. WORTHEN. OSCAR DARLING. Witnesses:

ROBERT E. HAWLEY, HARRY F. HAWLEY. 

